followfood develops and markets organic foods ranging from frozen fish to pizza and snacks – fully traceable to the origin thanks to a tracking code.
followfood GmbH
Friedrichshafen · Hamburg · HeilbronnNew on Amplifa
About followfood
followfood GmbH, based in Friedrichshafen, is a German company in the organic food sector. It was founded in 2000 by Jürg Knoll and Harri Butsch as fish & more GmbH, initially with the import and distribution of frozen fish; in 2015 it was renamed followfood GmbH. Under the brands followfish and followfood, more than 150 foods are sold to EU organic standards – including fish and seafood, pizza and baked goods, ready meals, vegetables, snacks, instant noodles and ice cream. The products are distributed via food retail and specialized organic retail; according to bioVista (06/2025), the company is the market leader in the specialized organic retail in the categories of frozen fish and canned fish. Transparency is provided by a tracking code applied to every packaging, which discloses the product's origin, catch or cultivation, processing and carbon footprint. For wild fish, the company has developed its own science-based fisheries policies; organic requirements also apply to aquaculture and agricultural raw materials. The company employs 76 staff and, in addition to its Friedrichshafen headquarters, maintains locations in Hamburg and Heilbronn.
- Site
- Friedrichshafen
- Processes
- Tracking code for origin and carbon footprint transparency, Impact/sustainability reporting (Impact Report 2025), Climate neutrality in product transport (since 2017), Bodenretter initiative to promote organic farming, Press/communications and FAQ service
- Certificates
- EU Organic Control, MSC Chain of Custody, EU Organic Control DE-ÖKO-006, MSC Chain of Custody MSC-C-50518
- Founded
- 2000 (as
- Employees
- 76
- Industries
- Organic food, Fish & seafood, Frozen/ready meals, Specialized organic retail and food retail, Fish & seafood (frozen fish, canned fish), Frozen/ready meals (pizza, instant noodles, ice cream)
- 01
Development of recipes, ingredients and origin standards
- 02
Procurement of raw materials according to organic and fisheries policies
- 03
Processing by partners along the supply chain
- 04
Distribution via food retail and specialized organic retail
- 05
Traceability via tracking code on the packaging
Locations
Friedrichshafen
DECompany headquarters
Hamburg
DEFurther location
Heilbronn
DEFurther location
Industries
Additional services
Quality and Certification
The organic products are controlled by the Institute for Market Ecology (DE-ÖKO-006); MSC products are part of the MSC control system (Chain of Custody MSC-C-50518). In addition, the company's own fisheries policies apply to wild fish.
| Evidence | Company |
|---|---|
| EU Organic Control DE-ÖKO-006 | |
| MSC Chain of Custody MSC-C-50518 |
History
- 2000
Founded as fish & more GmbH by Jürg Knoll and Harri Butsch; initially importing frozen fish
- 2007
Launch of followfish frozen fish with a self-developed tracking code for transparency from catch to plate
- 2008
Introduction of the followfish brand in retail (February)
- 2011
German Sustainability Award, category "Germany's most sustainable products/services"; TOP 3
- 2012
German Sustainability Award, category "Germany's most sustainable initiative"; TOP 3
- 2015
Renaming to followfood GmbH (December); award "Organic Brand of the Year"
- 2016
Campaign against wild fishery and illegal fishing methods
- 2017
First Fair Trade label for tuna in Germany; start of CO2 compensation for product transport; expansion into non-fish products
- 2018
Market leader in organic pizza according to Handelsblatt
- 2019
Launch of the Bodenretter (soil savers) initiative; first common good economy report; 500,000 euros invested in climate projects and regenerative agriculture
- 2020
Market share of 45 % in specialized organic retail (frozen fish); Green Brand Award 2019/2020; "Mein gutes Beispiel" of the Bertelsmann Foundation
- 2021
Investor Sven Schulz (Akasol) acquires around 29 % of the shares via Summiteer; founders remain majority shareholders
- 2022
Majority takeover of Blueyou; full acquisition of Dörrwerk GmbH (brand Rettergut); place among the 15 "most innovative SMEs in Germany"; Sustainable Impact Award
- 2023
TOP 3 German Sustainability Award
- 2024
Triple win at the German Sustainability Award; market leader in specialized organic retail in frozen fish and canned fish (bioVista 06/2025)
- 2025
First Impact Report published; more than 150 products and more than 3 million customers